Amendments to the Pension and Disability Insurance Law, which grant all mothers in Serbia additional special pensionable service, were adopted back in 2014.
However, their application for mothers of one or two children is scheduled to begin in 2032, while the additional special service for mothers of three or more children has already been in effect for over 12 years, as reflected in current regulations.
In recent days, public discussion has emerged claiming that mothers in Serbia, through amendments to the Pension and Disability Insurance Law currently being prepared, will gain the right to additional so-called special service, which would be “added” when calculating their pension eligibility.
It is true that amendments to the Pension and Disability Insurance Law are currently being prepared. It is also true that mothers are entitled to so-called special pensionable service upon retirement.
The issue is that this special service for mothers is not part of the new amendments currently in the public consultation draft of the law.
This provision was adopted more than a decade ago – specifically through an article introduced in 2014. The National Assembly adopted the law on 1 July 2014, and it was published in the Official Gazette No. 75 of 21 July 2014 (page 13).
However, for mothers of one and two children, its application begins on 1 January 2032, effectively from the moment the retirement age for women is fully increased and aligned with the retirement conditions for men, while special service for mothers of three or more children has already been calculated for years.
What the current law says
In the existing valid version of the Pension and Disability Insurance Law, Article 60 still contains the provision on special pensionable service adopted in 2014.
It states:
“A female insured person who has given birth to three children shall be credited with special pensionable service of two years on that basis.
A female insured person shall be credited with special pensionable service of:
- six months, if she has given birth to one child;
- one year, if she has given birth to two children.”
What is in the new draft law
The new draft amendments to the Pension and Disability Insurance Law are currently being developed and are available on the eConsultations website. They introduce other changes.
Notably, the words “child” and “mother” do not appear anywhere in the draft.
The Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs has published a notice announcing the start of work on the document:
“The Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs informs the interested public that work has begun on drafting the Law on Amendments to the Pension and Disability Insurance Law, which defines conditions for acquiring the right to an old-age pension for contracted professional soldiers as professional military personnel, in order to align with the Law on Amendments to the Armed Forces of Serbia Law, to clarify provisions governing the procedure for exercising rights from pension and disability insurance, to ensure legal-technical harmonisation of certain provisions to allow for more consistent application, and to align certain provisions with European Union regulations,” the Ministry stated.
The interested public was able to submit proposals, suggestions and comments to the Ministry until 17 April 2026. According to the available draft on the eConsultations website, the amendments also include provisions enabling “parent-caregivers” (a status regulated by another law currently in preparation) to gain pensionable service rights.
(N1, 27.04.2026)
https://n1info.rs/biznis/dodatni-staz-za-majke-poseban-staz/